Raven and The Sparrow (Ereri)
by LettersToThePoet25
Summary: (Transferring this book over here from Wattpad because I wasn't getting any feedback or views, character list will be updated throughout the book) Eren is a nineteen year old run away and Levi, a twenty five year old world famous artist. The two are more than an unlikely couple but after meeting in a gallery the pair may have a fleeting chance. ((Moden!AU))
1. Chapter 1

_Hello everyone :3 so i'm making the authors notes at the start of each chapter, if any ever come at the end of a chapter it's going to be little credits, translations, and/or thank you notes! Anything else will be at the start. This is going to be my first Ereri fanfiction and my first fanfiction in over three years . this is both exciting and scary at the same time, anywho before I go on, this book is rated mature for a reason, if you can't handle mature scenes/subjects such as: swearing, violence, sexual innuendos/scenes, or simple complex and/or complicated parts please don't read any further! I don't want this book getting too much hate!_

* * *

He wasn't sure if his boss was insane or just thought fondly of him, whatever the case was, Eren had been dragged along to some fancy meet up with his boss at an Art Gallery. Eren - being quite the unobservant creature - failed to notice that the meet up required formal wear, by the time that his boss came to pick him up he was wearing a normal white t-shirt and some blue jeans.

"Jaeger what the hell are you wearing?" The older man hissed, more astonished than angry. Eren glanced up at the blonde, swallowing as soon as he noticed his attire; a suit, a fancy suit that people only wore for weddings or important parties and meetings.

"I...sir, you never told me that we were going to a formal party." Eren said, trying to get more words out of his mouth but only made a fool of himself, looking like a fish out of water. His boss, Andre, could only sigh loudly as he brushed a hand through his gelled hair.

"Do you even have a suit?" He asked, his tone low and a little more than disappointed, Eren could only flash a weak smile as he shook his head.

"Ah, yeah no I don't..." The brunette whispered, swallowing as he noticed anger flash over Andre's face for a moment before he glanced at his watch, shaking his head as he unlocked the car doors to let Eren in.

"Just get in, we don't have time for this." He muttered bitterly, watching as Eren got into the passengers seat before he pulled out of the driveway.

"I'm sorry Andre...I didn't-" Eren was cut off by Andre's heavy sigh, swallowing nervously as Andre glanced over at him then back to the road.

"When we get there, try to _look_ like you fit in, don't be a nervous mess, got it?" The blonde muttered, Eren could only nod, ashamed of his actions...or lack of that is.

* * *

Eren swallowed back his nerves as they pulled up to the gallery, his eyes dancing as he glanced around at all the men and women gathered outside of the doors, every single one of them dressed in formal dresses, tuxedos, and suits. Each man and woman looked as if they were made of money, wearing expensive jewellery, watches, and small accessories that only screamed "Hello, I cost an arm and a leg!" Eren found himself out of his league, dressed in his twenty dollar outfit.

"How...how do you know these people?" Eren asked breathlessly, glancing over at Andre who was obviously much more relaxed than the brunette.

"Some are high school friends, acquaintances, old customers, if this doesn't show you how important friendships are than I don't know what is...you might look like shit but try to meet a few of these people, they can get you places, Eren." Andre said, not bothering to look Erens way as he parked, rolling up the windows before he turned off the car. "Are you ready? Or are you going to play chicken and stay in here?" Andre asked, flashing a smile Eren's way.

"Of course i'm going in! I just...I don't fit in, they're going to get one good look and turn their backs!" Eren said bitterly, unaware of his volume raising higher.

"Calm down, not everyone is like that, now come on we don't have all night." Andre said with a smile, getting out of the car first. Eren found himself alone for a few moments, glancing over at the building before he looked over at Andre who was already making his way to the front doors without him, Eren forced back his nerves for the second time that night before he got out, sighing heavily as he chased after the blonde.

"Do I stay with you?" Eren asked, almost feeling more alone than when he moved to Seattle a few months prior.

"No, of all things, _don't_ do that, sorry Eren but i'm not getting caught with you in that." Andre said with a laugh, pulling away from Eren to get himself caught up in the crowd outside of the gallery. Eren bit back a flash of anger, glaring at the spot he last saw Andre before he glanced over at the glass doors to the gallery, inside there would be dozens of people all casually chatting away in their expensive clothing while drinking their expensive wines and champagnes, all while eating their expensive foods and viewing those expensive pieces of art. Expensive, everything that Eren couldn't afford, maybe in his dreams but never in real life, he was an eighteen year old kid who abandoned his family to try and find a better life, in doing so, he left himself virtually homeless, that is - until Andre found him. Andre gave Eren a job at the coffee shop and helped him find a cheap (but habitable) apartment, if it wasn't for Andre, Eren would still be living on the streets.

Eventually, Eren found a small burst of confidence and proudly walked into the gallery, glancing around to find no one in sight. That was normal, he thought, it was the entrance, if he wanted to find people they would be further inside, looking at the art. Eren swallowed back his nerve vomit again, walking further into the gallery where he was met with brilliant colours and sculptures, each piece of art seeming to knock the wind out of him. "Holy shit..." He said, eyes growing wide as he found a new appreciation for art - an appreciation he never knew he had.

"Holy shit is right." Eren gasped loudly as he was tugged out of his daze, glancing over at the woman who owned the voice, she was short, a red head, sharp looking glasses with a pencil skirt and frame-fitting coat. "The names Harrison." She said casually, glancing over at the large paining before both her and Eren.

"Eren...I don't mean to sound rude, but is that your last name? Harrison is quite an odd name." He said with a shy laugh, brushing a hand through his messy hair, Harrison could only smile before she sipped from her glass of wine, glancing back at Eren quietly.

"My real name is Elliot Harrison, I always thought of Elliot as a boys name so I've gone by my surname for as long as I can remember." She said with a casual shrug, obviously used to the question.

"Ah, well if it helps, I think Elliot is unique, not something you hear everyday, you just need to decide if you want to give your name a character or not." Eren said with a shrug, glancing down at the floor passively as soon as he realised that he had been treading into more personal waters. "Sorry...if I'm offending you feel free to stop me." He apologised before looking back up at her, she was smiling.

"It's fine, thank you Eren...what brings you here? You don't really...fit the code." Harrison said with a chuckle, Eren could only smile back shyly as he wrapped an arm around his waist as if it would shield his _not-very-expensive_ outfit.

"I came here with my boss...he didn't tell me that this was all formal wear." He said with a heavy sigh, brushing a hand through his wild hair again, Harrison chuckled.

"Ah whatever, if someone gives you beef just tell them that, if they keep going than turn around and forget them." Harrsion said calmly as she sipped her wine again, glancing back up at the painting, Eren finally followed her eyes to look up at the piece before them.

"Do you know who painted this?" She asked, not looking over at Eren, but he looked back at her.

"No...should I?" He asked breathlessly, it seemed surreal, it was like he was a child, hearing the story of Santa Clause for the first time, and yet Eren was never one for art; never painted, drew, coloured or bothered to look at anyone else's work, until now.

"No, you don't need to know him, but if you happen to meet him tonight you should know him." She said with a small smile, glancing back at Eren with the same star-struck gaze.

"He's here? Why?" Eren asked, not used to the concept of art galleries and meetings at art galleries.

"Plenty of artists are here tonight, he's one of many that you might stumble across, they come here to talk about their artwork..." Harrison was cut off by the beeping of her phone, she sighed and pulled it out, answering it without looking at the screen. A short blunt conversion between her and the recipient lasted no more than thirty seconds before she sighed and turned back to Eren. "It was nice talking to you Eren, but I have to get going now, have a good time." She said with a sweet smile before she walked to the glass doors at the entrance, leaving Eren with more questions than answers.

"But...who is he?" He whispered, glancing back at the painting in search of something that had to be there, he glanced at the bottom left corner of the painting and stepped closer, squinting as he made out the signature.

"Levi Ackerman." He breathed out, again, leaving him with more questions than answers.


	2. Chapter 2

_Alright chapter two is a go! I'm going to be taking in suggestions for the book, I already have a rough plot line for this but I would love to hear some ideas! Also if anyone sees a typo or a phrase that's worded incorrectly please say something, I'll fix it right away!_

* * *

Eren got himself busy with looking at as many paintings and sculptures as possible, always searching for the name he was instructed to know; Levi Ackerman. The name seemed to fit every piece of artwork Eren found by Levi, each painted with dull greys, dark blacks, and blistering whites, no trace of colour or life anywhere. Dark and gloomy wasn't a good trait to be linking to someone Eren had never met, for all he knew Levi was bright and bubbly and his artwork portrayed another part of him entirely, but the colours had to of meant something that Eren couldn't read with an untrained eye. The brunette had eventually walked through the entire gallery, too transfixed on every piece to bother talking to the people surrounding him, hoping to find something that would send him spiraling down a road of wonderment but after thoroughly investigating every room and every corner Eren was left feeling amazed, drained, and dissapointed. At that point he was too overwhelmed to bother trying to talk to anyone yet, deciding that going outside was a better option than staying cooped up where he would be forced to talk to someone eventually, the brunette started towards the front entrance before he was stopped.

"Eren! Enjoying yourself?" Andre asked, smiling over at the brunette with a glass of wine in-hand, Eren could only flash a weak smile before he walked over to Andre.

"I guess so...I've been looking at all the art." He said, glancing around the room for a moment before he looked back at Andre, who chuckled and glanced around the room as well, his gaze resting on Eren again.

"All of these works come from talented artists, you should consider yourself lucky to even be standing in this room." Andre said with a smile, raising his glass for a toast with Eren's non-existent glass before he took a sip from the glass.

"Why? It's just art...I mean some of these things I could recreate, and I have no background in art." Eren said with a scoff, Andre chuckled but still shot Eren a look that left the brunette feeling like a deer caught in headlights.

"It's not ' _just art_ ', I can't expect you to understand and I'm not going to explain it to you, because one day you'll figure it out yourself when you're listening to your favourite band, reading a good book, looking at an amazing piece of art or maybe even painting your own, at that point you'll come to appreciate everything that artwork is, and I'm saying that as some low-class coffee shop owner, not an artist." Andre said, toasting Eren's invisible glass again before he walked away, leaving Eren to stare after him, more confused than before.

The brunette took a moment to try and understand the conversation between Andre and him but still came up dry, maybe it was because he was too young or had never payed any attention to art in any shape or form. Paintings have always been colours on a canvas, drawings have always been lead on paper, music has always been tunes on the radio, and books have always been words to forget, nothing Eren wanted to bother remembering or decoding to find the true meaning. Regardless, he tried to throw the thoughts he had away for the time being so he could go outside to just breathe, inhaling the cool air as if it would cure his anxiety before he walked over to one of the benches, sitting down for the first time that night.

Laughter broke Eren's quiet moment, glancing up at the group of girls that walked down the sidewalk in their club clothes, they were obnoxiously loud but seemed to be having a good time, Eren smiled as his thoughts flew back to his time in New York with his family, remembering the cold winter days when he would play outside with Armin and Mikasa and then the warm summer afternoons he spent swimming in his pool, each day was filled with laughter that seemed to disappear as he grew older, and then all together once he left.

"-Right and I need two of those by Monday." Eren turned his head back to the entrance of the gallery, blinking a few times when he saw a smaller man on the phone. He was dressed in a suit that screamed money, and had a faint accent that seemed to pair the money factor as well - most likely Western European that was smothered with a fake American accent to try and cover it up, but anyone could pick the accent out.

"Alright, you know where to find me." The man muttered into his phone as he stepped down the stairs to lean against the stone wall, taking out a pack of cigarettes before he hung up, Eren's eyes seemed to automatically follow the mans hands in bewilderment, perhaps it was the inner child that Eren still had, trying to take in the life of a fully grown man so Eren could mimic his actions later on in his adult life, or it was Eren's lack of sensibility. The man let out an aggravated sigh as he pulled the cigarette up to his lips, Eren's staring only increased but the ravenette seemed to let the game go on carelessly as he lit the small tobacco-filled stick, the brunettes eyes seemed to flicker as he eyed the pale ravenette carelessly, watching as he inhaled the fumes from the cigarette he held with his slim fingers before he exhaled a cloud of smoke, his blue-grey eyes catching Eren's emeralds.

"Got a staring problem, kid?" He hissed, head lulling back against the stone wall behind him as his hand dropped to his side, despite being caught by the man, Eren could only think of one thing; this ravenette was absolutely stunning.

"S..sorry!" Eren said with an anxious laugh, his nerves coming back to hit him like a freight train. "I tend to do that...Just stare off into space and I end up staring at people..." Eren said, using his hands as he spoke, each flailing about pointlessly. The action must have amused the ravenette because he had scoffed right before he took another drag from his cigarette.

"What the hell are you wearing? You do realise that you're supposed to be wearing formal wear right?" The pale man hissed, glaring at Eren who finally felt a nerve get struck.

"Yeah, I do realise that, but maybe my formal wear is different compared to yours...and what the hell is that thing around your neck?" Eren asked, returning the bitter tone to the older man, who only seemed to grow amused with Eren's anger.

"A cravat, not too many people wear them anymore, and I highly doubt you've bothered to sit down in history class to notice the attire that men wore in the 17th-century." The ravenette shot back, exhaling another cloud of smoke Eren's way, who kept a straight face as he fought off a coughing fit.

"Last time I checked this isn't the 17th-century." Eren muttered, glancing around as if it would prove his point, lights from signs, stores, and buildings flashed in the streets, cars strolled past and buildings were tall enough to touch the skies, nothing anyone in the 17th-century could've imagined...aside from the ravenettes cravat.

"Bravo, A plus for observation kid, we are defiantly not in the 17th-century, but that doesn't define what I wear." The smaller man muttered, seeming to almost instantly regret his choice of words as Eren turned to him with a smirk.

"Good, for all you know the new formal wear in the 30th-century will be our casual wear, so don't bitch at me." Eren muttered, more proud about the loophole he found than what he should've been.

"Whatever, right now you look like an idiot and I have no idea why you would've ever shown your face in there." The ravenette muttered bitterly, eyeing Eren for a moment before he brought his attention back to his half-finished cigarette.

"Honestly, no one has had a problem with it, besides you that is." Eren pointed out, not knowing why this conversation had been playing out so well, he just met his man, didn't know his name, and was treating him like an old friend who he could screw around with and not get hit.

"I have a problem with it because if I ran the joint I'd never let you inside, but I don't, I simply supply the gallery with some art." He said with a casual shrug, seeming to brush off the action as if it wasn't a big deal.

"So what? You go and move artwork into the gallery?" Eren asked with a scoff, not quite understanding the ravenette, but by the glare that the smaller man gave Eren he knew he was wrong right away.

"No stupid, I _painted_ some of the artwork." He hissed, eyes sharper than daggers, each stabbing Eren repeatedly.

"Oh...I guess I should've figured that out, what ones did you do? I spent awhile in there looking at everything..." He muttered, rubbing his arm anxiously, was it normal to know the faces of artists? Would this man be offended? Was Eren expected to know everything? He forced his worries away, not wanting the ravenette to read him.

"I'm Levi, if you've bothered looking at the names of any of the artists i'm sure you'll be able to figure it out." Levi muttered, inhaling once more from his cigarette before he threw it to the ground, using his shoe to put it out. Eren was left in complete awe, the paintings he had favoured...he was meeting their creator and this man really could reflect on those paintings but in an entirely different way than what Eren had originally interpreted.

"Ah...yeah I've seen your paintings in there...if i'm honest I'd say they were my favourite." Eren said with a weak smile, running a hand though his messy hair.

"Don't be a suck up kid, I don't have anything to offer you." Levi muttered, crossing his arms over his chest with a heavy sigh, Eren frowned as he shook his head quickly, standing up to stride over to the smaller man.

"No, that's not what this is! I'm serious, I liked your work, I'm not trying to get anything from you I'm just telling you the truth." He said with a shrug before he noticed how close he had gotten to the ravenette, he blinked before flashing a weak smile, stepping away from him casually.

"I'm Eren...sorry about the terrible introduction." He said with a small sigh, expecting Levi to turn and leave, but instead he shook his head and leaned back further into the wall.

"Alright, Eren, if that's the case, pleased to meet you." Levi said, although it had seemed forced Eren still found himself smiling down at him.


	3. Chapter 3

_I'm going to be trying to gear my writing towards a happy medium between both Eren and Levi so you'd be seeing yourself as a "middle man" who happens to know both of their thoughts, the past two chapters have been focused on Eren mainly because I feel like everyone should know a little back story on our favourite brunette before we dive into Levi's story, which will be added eventually, don't expect it to pop up anytime soon ^'' anywho, enjoy~_

 _PS: Erwin is in this chapter, before anyone get's butthurt I need to make this clear: I DO NOT HATE ERWIN! He's one of my favourite characters, but in Ereri fics he's just an easy character to pull and made into an enemy, in this case he's not an /enemy/ but more or less an obstacle that can speak, I don't plan on making Erwin "evil" in any way, he's just a character that's easy to use -the more you know-_

* * *

An uncomfortable moment of silence was casted over Levi and Eren, both unsure of what to say to the other in that puzzling situation.

"You realise that staring is rude, right?" Levi spat, shoving his hand into his pocket to grab the small blue carton of cigarettes for a second time that night, taking one out of the package before he lit it. His eyes drifted over to Eren's momentarily before quickly bringing his attention to the cars that drove through past the gallery in a rush, the people inside hurrying to get home or to work as quickly as possible.

"I...Sorry sir, it's just odd...seeing you, I mean I've only just seen your artwork and it's odd meeting the man behind the canvas." Eren sputtered up, mentally kicking himself for such a sappy thing to say, he was willingly sucking up to this man now that he had figured out his social status, if famous artist could fit in there somewhere, and it wasn't like Eren had an undying love for art anyway! His actions were unnecessary. Levi scoffed, blowing out a cloud of fumes Eren's way, leaving the brunette holding his breath in a terrible attempt to hold back his coughing fit.

"So, some low class kid likes art huh? That's not exactly unheard of, but you don't fit the bill." Levi sneered as he eyed up Eren, the kid wasn't dressed for a gallery, and he didn't scream "I love art!" either, he looked like the average confused teenaged boy who didn't know the difference between primary colours and secondary colours.

"I don't!" Eren said quickly, eyes widening once he realised his sudden, defensive outburst. Backing up a bit before he coughed awkwardly, continuing his sentence. "I mean...I don't really like art all that much, I came here not having much of an appreciation but it is nice to see everything inside and just admire it, i'm sure that i'll go home and forget everything, but right now I am quite amazed." Eren said breathlessly before he shamelessly eyed Levi. The man looked like the rest, like he was build out of money, Eren had been told all of his life that artists struggled with money and often worked multiple jobs on top of painting, but assuming that Levi was a full-time artist, he looked too good to be struggling with anything financially.

"If that's the case, don't be too kind tonight, plenty of artists in there will soak up your words and assume you know everything, then if you tell them that you're just some... _kid_...don't be surprised if they get pissed off." Levi muttered, taking in another long drag from his cigarette, watching as confusion was cast over the brunettes face. "If you owned a business, and someone came up to you talking about how good your business is, you're going to assume that person knows enough to talk to them about the more important stuff, if they don't know anything more you'd feel led on, am I right?" Levi explained slowly.

"Yeah...I guess." Eren muttered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, watching Levi for a moment before he looked back down at the ground. "Are you offended?" He asked quietly, as he rubbed the back of his neck slowly.

"No, i'm not, do you realise how stupid this conversation is?" Levi muttered as he threw his cigarette to the ground. "It's not the end of the world, stop sulking and go back inside, find someone else to talk to because I don't plan on being your guide for the rest of the night." Levi spat before turning to go back inside, leaving Eren in a confused daze. The conversation had gone quite well before Levi just got up and left, not seeming to give the brunette any answers to his questions.

* * *

Levi brushed through the crowd of people, a few greeting him cheerfully but he kept moving wordlessly, heading towards one of the empty galleries where he could just sit and relax for a moment because _apparently_ going outside wasn't a good spot for that either. He sat down on one of the benches that lined the walls in the room, letting out a sigh of relief as he ran his fingers through his hair, his thoughts seeming to fill the empty room with questions all needing answers.

First off, Levi was dealing with a recent break up that still had no explanation, all he knew was that whatever love that was in the relationship had turned sour, for awhile the ravenette tired to fix it, but his partner let it all crumble down. Incidentally, Levi was more or less _forced_ to attend the event with said ex, Erwin was his manager and there was no way for Levi to get a new one soon enough, luckily he had managed to avoid him for the majority of the night. Next was that brat he met outside of the gallery, he wanted to hate the brunette, his need for hate had never burned so much, he wanted to hate that smile and his goofy, inappropriate attire, his messy hair and emerald eyes but Levi could only fake the hate that he desired, leaving him more confused than anything.

"Here you are." Levi didn't bother looking up, he knew that voice, one that he once loved, one that comforted him at the worst of times.

"Congratulations, do you want a prize? It's a punch to the face." Levi said unenthusiastically, rolling his eyes before he shot a glare Erwin's way who rightfully kept his distance from Levi.

"I think I'll pass thanks. Listen, you need to start going around and talking to people, I can't do it all for you." Erwin muttered, leaning against the wall just beside the door, his blue eyes locked on Levi who still wasn't looking straight at him.

"I will, you don't need to parent me Erwin." Levi spat, leaning back as he crossed his legs and then his arms over his chest. "There's just a lot of shit happening right now, the least you can do for me is go out there, put on a smile, and answer some god damn questions." Levi hissed, steel-blue eyes hard on Erwin, who only looked back with a stone hard stare.

"Don't expect me to keep doing this for you Levi, there's no need for it now." Erwin said in a low tone, a tone that shot Levi straight through the chest, but of course the ravenette wouldn't dare to show the blonde, not anymore.

"Trust me, this is the last time." Levi hissed before he stood up, glaring at Erwin once more. "It shouldn't surprise you, but i'm finding a new manager as soon as possible, that way we don't have to deal with each other anymore." He said before leaving the room, not letting Erwin add on anything else, too drained to deal with him any longer.

* * *

Eren walked around the gallery aimlessly, making pit stops to get himself a drink or a chocolate covered strawberry, something he had only ever seen in television shows and movies, also something he had quickly grown to love.

"Eren!" He turned at his name, a wave of relief settling on his shoulders once he saw Andre making his way up to him. "How are you doing?" He asked, a joyful smile plastered over his face, Eren could only smile back as his thoughts drifted back to the small ravenette.

"Fine I guess, I've looked at all the artwork and I've talked to a few people, nothing all that eventful." Eren said with a casual shrug, watching as Andre adjusted to suit he wore.

"Well that's good, listen we're going to be leaving in about an hour or so, so make your final rounds before we leave, unless if you find another way home." Andre said as he eyed Eren for a moment, who nodded in reply. "Good, I'll come find you later kid." Andre called as he turned to leave Eren again, joining a conversation in a small group of people. Eren had always envied Andre's social skills, the man could just casually insert himself as if he owned the place, the people he talked to didn't have to know who he was nor did he need to know who they were, he just worked his magic.

Eren watched Andre for a moment before he walked off again, glancing up at the large sculpture that was in the centre of the gallery, it was large enough to almost touch the glass dome roof of the building but not quite there, from what he could tell, it was made out of various metals, it really was quite spectacular for all of the bland colours. The brunette over once he heard a familiar voice, not able to stop himself once he saw Levi talking to a man and woman, just in front of one of his own pieces, Eren had to stop himself from casually strolling over to say hello, knowing he was more likely to get kicked rather than receive a joyful hello, so, he sat down and quietly examined the ravenette from afar.


	4. Chapter 4

Staring was rude, Eren knew that but how could he not stare at a man that was just as beautiful as the rest of his paintings? Eren never considered being gay...but he never considered himself straight either, he hadn't confronted his own sexuality yet, however he was allowed to deem both genders beautiful because a man could be just as beautiful as a curvaceous woman.

Eren quickly looked away when Levi finally glanced over at him, though he would have guessed that the ravenette knew Eren was staring all along, he just came off as that kind of person - the all-seeing godly-type average man. The witty remark make Eren scoff, he hid his smile with his hand as he stared at the black and white marble floor, not the footsteps that calmly approached him.

"What did I tell you about staring?" Levi muttered, taking a seat beside Eren quietly before he looked him over quietly as the brunette looked back at him with a surprised expression.

"That...it's rude." Eren muttered breathlessly. There he was, lit up by the artificial lighting from the gallery lighting, sitting right beside him. Eren had to take a moment to figure out how to breathe again before he tore his eyes away from the ravenette knowing that not only would Levi hate the attention, but this man was much older than he was making any sort of semi-romantic gesture something of taboo.

"Exactly, now please, stop staring at me so I can talk with other people, I told you I don't plan on being your guide tonight." Levi hissed, glaring at the flustered brunette who seemed to sit up after Levi's short scolding.

"Than why are you here? If you don't plan on being by guide than go away." Eren pointed out, not _trying_ to be rude but he knew his words were exactly that; rude.

"Go away?" Levi repeated with a scoff, crossing his arms over his chest trying to act as if he had the upper hand in the situation but really, Eren was right. "Alright, but remember what I said. Stop staring." He hissed before standing up, not bothering to look back at Eren again, it would just mean that the brat was winning.

"What? You can't take the heat?" Eren called out as Levi walked off, smirking once he realised that he had won somehow, he wasn't sure what the game was but he had won. Levi continued to walk away, rolling his eyes before he caught Erwin's from across the galleria before the blonde made his way towards him.

"Who was that?" Erwin muttered, glancing over at Eren, seeming to sneer as he noticed how under dressed he was.

"Just some brat that I met outside, seems to like my paintings." Levi muttered bitterly, glaring at Erwin who finally snapped his attention back to Levi, looking back down at him with a solid stare.

"He seems to like a lot more than just your paintings, Levi." Erwin hissed, following Levi as he walked towards the bar, grabbing himself a glass of wine while he waited for Levi's reply.

"Even if that's the case, it's none of your fucking business, last time I checked you don't mean anymore to me than a pile of dirt." Levi hissed, but somewhere, deep inside of him, his own words stung. He still stared up at Erwin, not letting him see the pain, he already lost to Eren he wasn't about to lose to Erwin.

"He's a _kid_ , Levi. Doesn't look old enough to be out of college yet." Erwin muttered lowly, glancing back at Eren who had gotten up to examine more paintings.

"Did I ever say that I felt anything for that shit? No, I didn't. Fuck off Erwin." Levi hissed again, his brows furrowed as he gripped his wine glass tightly, threatening to break it in his hand. Erwin stared at him for a moment before sighing heavily and turning away, walking off to cool himself off.

* * *

Eren wandered around the gallery aimlessly for the rest of the hour, trying to find Levi again but never found the small ravenette. Instead, he ran into a taller blonde man just before he had to leave.

"Do I know you?" Eren asked, looking up at the older man, who was blocking his way out of the hallway that they stood in.

"No, but that doesn't matter. Listen to me, stay away from Levi." Erwin said lowly, crossing his arms over his chest as he examined Eren to try and get a better picture of him, why had Levi bothered to associate himself with this kid?

"Stay away from Levi? Why? It's not like i'll be seeing him again, i'm leaving in a few minutes..." Eren mumbled, looking past Erwin before he looked up at him again.

"Well, if that's the case, nevermind." Erwin said before walking down the hallway. "Have a good evening, Eren."

Eren watched Erwin walk off, raising a brow out of confusion before he went off to find Andre in hopes that he hadn't left without him yet.

* * *

Morning came late for Eren, luckily for him he had the afternoon shift at the cafe so even with his late start he wouldn't be missing work. He tore his blanket off of his body, sighing heavily before he got out of bed.

"Fuck this..." He groaned silently, wincing as he looked outside of his window to check the weather. It was a nice, bright sunny day, if Eren was still a child he'd be outside playing in the pool or playing pretend in his tree fort with Armin, but that was the past, and work was his now. Eren padded over to the bathroom, quickly showering and _trying_ to groom his hair which got minimal results. He walked back to his bedroom to change into his work clothes before he went to his kitchen, grabbing himself a granola bar and a glass of water, definitely not a sufficient breakfast but he could eat some real food once he got to work.

Eren walked to work, not in any rush to be taking the bus or biking down to the cafe, he was more than positive that he'd be early for once, the thought made him proud knowing that for once he wouldn't have to deal with Andre scolding him for coming in late. He shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing up at the green leaves on a tree that he passed by before he glanced over at an elderly woman who was walking beside a little boy, the boy happily addressed the woman as his grandmother and was talking to her about an event that happened at school the prior day. Eren smiled before he continued along, doing his best not to dwell on his own memories, knowing that doing such a thing would only bring him down.

He walked into the cafe, the small bell on the door ringing as he opened it, smiling as he was greeted by Quinn who stood behind the front counter.

"Hey Eren! You're early." She said cheerfully, closing the cash register before Eren came back with her.

"Yeah, what a surprise." He said sarcastically, smiling as Quinn took off her cap, signaling that her day was over. "Aw, I'm all alone today?" Eren said with a forced pout, laughing as Quinn punched his shoulder playfully.

"Obviously, I love you but I'm not working unpaid overtime for you." She said with a laugh, hopping back over the counter. "See you tomorrow Eren!" She said happily, waving as she left the cafe leaving Eren alone.

The cafe was empty for now but it was lunch time, and lunch was when everyone strolled in needing their afternoon pastries and coffees, something Eren had quickly picked up on in the first few days that he was working there. He looked up when the door was opened, casually greeting the couple that came inside and ordered their lunch, Eren quickly made their sandwiches and coffees before handing it back, looking up again as the bell rang. For a moment, Eren had to hold his breath and do a double take, how ironic was it to find Levi in the cafe that he was working at?

"No cheerful hello?" Levi muttered bitterly, crossing his arms as he cocked his head to the side.

"Uh...Hi? What are you doing here? I've never seen you here before..." Eren trailed off, licking his dry lips before examining Levi. He was clad in black jeans and a black jacket, paired with a dark grey scarf around his neck, clothing that was more suited for autumn weather. Eren bit his tongue and held back his questions, instead he patiently waited for Levi's response.

"I was in the neighbourhood and decided to try something new, now what's the best thing you got here?" Levi asked impatiently, glancing up at the menu for a moment before looking back at Eren.

"Ah...honestly the most popular lunch item would be the turkey sandwich." Eren said with a nervous laugh, brushing a hand through his messy hair watching as Levi nodded and effortlessly gave his order but Eren found himself wondering if he could even manage to complete the order. It needed to be perfect, but it wasn't like he had ever screwed up anyone else's orders before, why would Levi be any different? The ravenette sat down at a nearby table as Eren got down to work, and his work seemed to go by in hours rather than minutes.


	5. Chapter 5

_Sorry about the late update, usually I update every week but it`s been two weeks (not that you guys would know since aha) I'd like to thank all of you for the support and feedback, it means so much to me, it gives me a reason to come back and update this book ^,^ I'd like to thank you guys again, I honestly can't get over how much support has come over the past few days!_

* * *

Eren let out an exasperated sigh once he had Levi's sandwich and tea ready, any other day the action would be easy for the brunette that he was almost _sure_ that he could do it in his sleep, but now? Now he was shaking, panicking as if it was his first day all over again, afraid of screwing up somehow all because of the ravenette artist he had met the prior night. Eren delivered Levi's order to him with a shy smile, looking over the man who almost seemed to glow in the afternoon light that seeped in through the windows.

"You're staring again." Levi muttered, taking a bite out of the sandwich as he stared back up at Eren as to prove his point.

"Ah...sorry sir." He said with a nervous laugh, scratching the nape of his neck before he stepped back. "I'll just-" he started, pointing back over to the counter as he backed towards it, eyes still on Levi. "I'll just get back to work." He said, smiling weakly before he bumped into the small door, laughing shyly before he opened it and walked back to the cash register all while Levi watched, seeming amused with Eren.

Eren wasn't sure why he had gotten so flustered over Levi, he was doing his best to convince himself that it was just because he was someone he was told to respect, an authority figure. But somewhere in the back of his mind, there was a voice telling him otherwise and Eren was trying to drown the voice out because that could _not_ be the reason for his actions, there were so many other explanations that Eren could fall back on...but then again...why was he so indecisive?

As Eren worked, he would occasionally glance over at Levi who was silently reading something on his phone, Eren could only guess as to what it was that the ravenette was reading.

"Uh..sir?" Eren was pulled back from his thoughts, first from the voice, but then from the scalding hot liquid pouring onto his hand.

"Fuck!" Eren cried, tugging his hand away from the overfilled coffee cup before setting the coffee pot down to hold his burnt hand before looking back up at the concerned woman. "Ah...sorry miss, I'll get you a new one on the house alright?" Eren said with a shaky smile, the brunette could only nod before glancing at Eren's hand.

"Do you need that to be looked at? You should close up and go to the hospital…" She suggested, Eren could only shake his head as he poured a new cup of coffee, doing his best to use his good hand for everything, the other hand was red and had a couple of blisters already forming.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me miss." Eren said with another shy smile before handing the new cup of coffee to the woman. "Have a good afternoon." He said before he glanced around the cafe. Luckily for Eren, almost everyone had left, leaving a couple of confused people inside to see the event take place...including Levi.

* * *

Eren managed to scrape through the rest of his shift with one hand, leaving him alone with Levi who had stayed at his table for the entire time.

"Uh...Levi? I hate to bother you, but the cafe is closing for the day." Eren said as he walked over to Levi's table, keeping his burnt hand away so the ravenette wouldn't have to see the disgusting blotches and burns.

"I know." Levi muttered simply before looking up at Eren and then back down to his hand before standing up. "Where's the first aid kit?" He asked, taking Eren's burnt hand gently as he examined the wounds.

"In….In the back." Eren stuttered, what was with the personality change? The prior night left Eren feeling quite confused about the man, but now he was just drawn to him, craving closeness rather than avoiding him altogether.

"Good, than let's go clean you up, yeah?" Levi muttered, it was more of a statement than a question since he began to drag Eren back behind the counter and into the back room, ignoring the "staff only" sign that hung on the door.

"You don't need to do this Levi...I can handle it myself." Eren mumbled as he walked along, glancing at Levi once they stopped before he grabbed the white and red tin container with the bold words "FIRST-AID" on it.

"Sure you can, just like you can handle your stareing issue which led to you getting burnt in the first place." Levi muttered as he rummaged through the container, taking out a gauze bandage before he dragged Eren to the sink, turning on the cold water.

"I don't have a staring issue…" Eren muttered defensively, wincing as Levi dunked his burnt hand under the running water.

"Sure, that's why we're standing here having this conversation and you _didn't_ stare at me at all last night, no I'm just insane." Levi said, glaring at Eren before he let go of Eren's hand, expecting him to keep it there.

"I-" Eren tried, opening his mouth as he tried to find his words but only came up dry.

"Exactly, now just shut up, get your problem under your belt brat, I'm going to the washroom, keep your hand there." Levi muttered before leaving Eren behind.

* * *

Levi walked to the washroom and stood in front of the mirror, hands firmly placed on the counter in front of him.

"Fuck…" Levi muttered, staring back at his reflection desperately. Levi was drowning, or at least it felt that way. Eren had managed to throw him into a pit and the only way out was to climb the ladder that Eren offered but Levi was refusing to climb out, because once he gets out he would need to face the truth and the ravenette wasn't sure if he could handle that. Levi brushed a shaking hand through his silky hair before going over the events. First off, he came into the cafe and felt like he had been hit in the face by a wall, Eren had managed to take his breath away even though he was determined to forget the kid the moment he left the gallery the night before. Then, he had caught Eren staring and instead of telling him off for it, he gave in and let Eren stare which only led to the brat getting burnt! And _that_ only made Levi feel bad, usually he would scoff or not pay any attention but there he was feeling _bad_ because of some shitty brat he had met at a gallery, not something Levi was proud of...but not something he was against either.

Levi eventually pulled himself together and went back to Eren who still stood at the sink with his hand under the running water.

"I think that's good, turn the water off." Levi muttered before he walked over to the brunette and took his burnt hand, gently drying it with a cloth being careful as to not pop any blisters or cause Eren any pain before he gently wrapped his hand in some gauze.

"This should heal fine within a week or two, wrap it up every day and clean it gently, don't pop any of these blisters, they'll go away on their own." Levi said slowly, reciting words he had remembered from his childhood.

"What? Are you secretly a doctor too?" Eren said playfully, Levi just rolled his eyes before tying the gauze.

"No, my mother was a nurse, I've picked up a few things from her…" He trailed off, realising that he hadn't even told Erwin about his parents, only a few close friends and now...Eren.

"Ah, alright...thank you Levi." Eren said quietly, Levi stared back up at Eren quietly, not saying anything as he lost himself in those emerald jewels, not noticing yet Eren inching closer to his face. Levi managed to snap back into reality once Eren was only centimeters away from his face before he stepped away, letting go of Eren's wrapped hand as he made his way to the door.

"Yeah..no problem brat." Levi muttered, trying to make a quick escape before Eren could see his flushed cheeks. Eren's next words came as a blur to Levi, he just said goodbye and left the cafe before making his way to his car, sitting in his seat as he reached up to touch his lips.

"That little shit almost kissed me." He muttered breathlessly, staring down at his hands blankly as he tried to process the situation but found himself unable to.


	6. Update!

p style="text-align: center;"Hello everyone! Long time no see eh?/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Truth be told, I've been completely avoiding this story, I mean I suppose I emhave/em been trying to continue it, but I keep finding errors and mistakes that I always say "I should rewrite that chapter" and it's gotten to the point that I feel like I should rewrite the entire thing and add more..big ideas. (You'll see what I mean)/p  
p style="text-align: center;"I am going to completely revise this entire book, it will be renamed and I will not release it until I have ten chapters completed at least and I will update weekly. I span style="text-decoration: underline;"strongNEED/strong/span suggestions, if any of you could offer something you think would fit well within the storyline that would be outstanding, I don't care if you give a little three word idea or a two-page essay, I want this book to be enjoyed by you and I don't want make any of you unsatisfied./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Things to see changed:/p  
p style="text-align: center;"- Levi and Erwin's relationship; I don't like how bitter i've made it, I like Erwin and I don't want any reason for the readers to think the opposite. He will serve a conflicting role but not as harsh as originally intended./p  
p style="text-align: center;"- Possible personality change in Eren; I *might* make him more shy when he first meets Levi, as well as make him a fan of art instead of a fresh page in the artists community. But this is a decision that lays on a thin line/p  
p style="text-align: center;"- Different introduction; I might make them first meet at a café, this would be a brief meeting and they would meet again later at the gallery, this allows for more backstory/p  
p style="text-align: center;"- Connection to the AOT universe; Not going to dive too deep into this one more to keep it a secret and the fact that I might leave this out, just a question: Do you believe in reincarnation?/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Thank you!/p 


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